Author: Business News Asia

PlanetSpark Pte. Ltd., the entrepreneurial and strategic investment arm of SGX mainboard-listed Excelpoint Technology Ltd(1) (“Excelpoint”), today announced the launch of PlanetSpark Innovation Centre, the first hardware-targeted accelerator for Artificial Intelligence of Things (“AIoT”) innovations, dedicated to supporting Singapore tech startups speed up market deployment. Supported by Enterprise Singapore and backed by Excelpoint, PlanetSpark will invest an initial S$5 million to expand the centre’s engineering capabilities and develop technology platforms, and has secured a lineup of five startups for its upcoming pilot run of accelerator programme. The new centre, situated at Changi Business Park, is officially opened today by Trade…

Zipmex, the fully licensed global digital assets exchange, announced today the closing of its latest funding round. The round is headlined by Jump Capital, a US venture capitalist firm specialising in data-driven tech companies. The total amount raised exceeded the initial target of US$4 million to reach US$6 million. The raise follows Zipmex’s pre-Series A raise of US$3 million in September 2019 and a US$1.9 million seed round in January 2019. “This is an exciting day for all of us at Zipmex,” said Zipmex CEO Marcus Lim. “We are thrilled to have industry veteran Jump Capital leading the funding round.…

Want to learn how Japanese datacenters are reshaping the country’s economy? W.Media is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, 20th January, 10:30-12PM (GMT+9) dedicated to this explosive industry, with top-level speakers including: – Tsutsomu Toneyama, PTS Consulting Japan – Rui Takei, BICSI – Dominik Steiner, 650; VPC Asia KK – Takuya Yusa, NTT Facilities – Paul Dwyer, Equinix Registrations are now open! https://bit.ly/38unI1M Japan’s Datacenter Market is making a huge impact on the national economic landscape. Increased speculation from foreign companies and accelerated adoption of digital technologies across public and private sectors are the underlying driving factors to this rapid evolution. A…

Global private equity giant KKR announced the final close of KKR Asia Pacific Infrastructure Investors SCSp, a US$3.9 billion fund focused on infrastructure-related investments across Asia Pacific. “We are thrilled to announce the close of our inaugural Asian infrastructure fund, coming at this pivotal time for the infrastructure sector,” said Ming Lu, Head of KKR Asia Pacific. KKR’s infrastructure investment approach combines a disciplined selection process with distinctive deal sourcing and structuring capabilities executed by a dedicated investment team based in markets across Asia Pacific. In line with this approach, the Fund will focus on critical infrastructure with low volatility…

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC Bank) announced the appointment of Helen Wong as Group Chief Executive Officer on 15 April 2021. She succeeds Samuel Tsien, who is retiring on 14 April 2021. The Chairman of OCBC Bank, Ooi Sang Kuang, said that the appointment marks the Board’s focus on succession planning and talent management which are critical aspects of good corporate governance.  The appointment of Wong as OCBC Bank’s Group CEO was the result of a rigorous global search for the best qualified candidate who embodies both the capability to redefine OCBC Group strategy in light of challenges and opportunities…

Just before entering 2021, Norwegian Block Exchange has received a 60 million NOK investment that was arranged by Pareto Securities — the leading investment bank in the Nordics, that acted as the sole manager and book-runner. This puts NBX in a prime position to continue to develop its trading platform for cryptocurrencies and digital assets, as well as new products related to banking and E-money licenses. Ever since their public launch in April 2020, NBX has been working towards becoming a preferred digital assets services provider in the Nordics. Since then, the product has attracted over 7000 clients, including institutional…

Calling all Cloud enthusiasts! W.Media is gathering ASEAN’s best and brightest for a 4-day virtual conference to cover everything from datacenter deployment to digital banking. From 23-26 February, network with 7000+ Senior IT Leaders across the Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand markets. Digital Week is the webinar experience: REVAMPED. Our virtual platform is a community hub for you to access more content and engagement than ever: – Interactive industry chat rooms – Live speaker Q&A sessions – 1-on-1 video calls between attendees – Conference-wide prizes and competitions Registration is open. Join the conversation today! Register here: https://whova.com/portal/registration/digit2_202102/ For more…

Nisbah Capital, the blockchain subsidiary of Saudi Arabia-based Taibah Valley will join the Tezos ecosystem as a corporate baker, the first in the Middle East region. It also has added the Tezos blockchain to its blockchain lab projects as part of its initiative to create the biggest blockchain community in the MENA region to support commercialized applications, counselling, mentoring and researching in the areas related to blockchain and cryptocurrency. In addition, through its subsidiary, Nisbah Capital, Taibah Valley has also become the first corporate entity in the Kingdom to participate in the Tezos ecosystem as a corporate baker, meaning that…

Nissin Foods Company Limited (“Nissin Foods”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”; Stock code: 1475) announced that the Group has made an initial investment in production and storage facilities for frozen noodles in its Shunde Plant in the PRC. A first for the Group in the PRC on frozen noodles, this initiative will not only further enrich its product portfolio, but also capture the growing demand for frozen food products and premium noodles in the PRC. The facilities will commence operation this month, and the products will hit the shelves in the first quarter of 2021. Introducing Japanese “ice crown…

Epazz Inc. (OTC: EPAZ), a provider of blockchain cryptocurrency mobile apps and cloud-based business software solutions, announced today that the company is working with Greenheart CBD Hemp company in developing their smart contracts for their IEO (Initial Exchange Offering). The company will be enhancing their smart contract software to allow other organizations interested in launching their IEO using an easier way to create and modify their smart contracts without needing a programmer. According to Carlos R.W., senior economist and researcher at De Meijer Independent Financial Services Advisory (MIFSA), the global blockchain market size would grow exponentially in 2021. More businesses…

The Japanese government announced on Saturday that it will not allow entry of foreigners from all countries as it tries to prevent the spread of what is described as more contagious UK strain of the coronavirus. According to a Nikkei report, only Japanese nationals and foreigners living in Japan will be allowed to return to the country. The order takes effect from December 28. All will be subject to a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Nonresident foreign nationals who had obtained visas before Monday will, in principle, be allowed into Japan. However, those who have stayed in Britain or South Africa…

Manila-based global lender Asia Development Bank (ADB) announced that it has approved $1 million grant to the Government of Fiji to help finance the government’s recovery efforts following Tropical Cyclone Yasa. Yasa hit Fiji on 17-18 December and the government is now rolling out priority recovery activities for the affected residents Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second-largest island, and the remote island of the Yasawa, Lomaiviti, and Lau groups were in the direct path of Tropical Cyclone Yasa. “This is the second tropical cyclone this year to cause severe destruction in Fiji, as its economy continues to be impacted by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic,” said Regional Director of ADB’s Pacific…

‘LeSoleil’, a naturally active compound, was discovered as a therapeutic candidate for use against COVID-19. As the new coronavirus began to spread globally, Suntrap Life Technologies Ltd established a special research team. The project, “Research on Anti-New Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention Products”, was launched in an emergency situation. Working from the naturally active compounds screening and discovery platform developed by the International Drug Discovery Network Unites (IDDNU)*, the Suntrap research team conducted high throughput virtual screening of all naturally active compounds in the library, aiming to isolate compounds with a potent antiviral activity while ensuring safety. Consequently, ‘LeSoleil’, a potential therapeutic…

Hyundai Bioscience announced on the 23rd, December 2020, that CNPharm, its major shareholding bio tech company, has succeeded in developing ‘Poly-COV01,’ an injection drug for the potential treatment of patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Hyundai Bioscience stated that CNPharm teamed up with Dt&CRO, a Korean contract research organization (CRO), to process animal and clinical studies for this new COVID-19 injection drug. Hyundai Bio expects that Poly-COV01 may become a ‘hopeful shot’ as a last resort for severely ill patients with COVID-19 who are currently at the crossroads of life and death. Determined to proceed with the clinical procedure of Poly-COV01…

The Babylon Project has issued verifiable and immutable certificates of participation to all active attendees of its 2020 blockchain hackathon, using a decentralized application built by members of its developer community. Participants can easily claim and verify their certificates with the Discord group by simply calling on the discord-bot, and instantly receiving their certificates with hash pointers to the Waves blockchain. The certification app is called Certificado, designed by one of the top developers at the hackathon. Certificado is solving the problem of counterfeit certification using blockchain, which no prior technology directly addresses. By enabling businesses, individuals, and enterprises to…

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 64 out of 96 passed the Physician Licensure Examination (For Completion) given by the Board of Medicine in the cities of Manila and Tuguegarao this December 2020. The Board of Medicine is composed of Dr. Eleanor B. Almoro, Chairman; Dr. Godofreda V. Dalmacion, Dr. Zenaida L. Antonio, Dr. Rafael R. Castillo, Dr. Raquel S. Sayo and Dr. Martha O. Nucum, Members. The results were released in two (2) working days from the last day of examination. From January 11 to January 29, 2021, registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate…

GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, and ESR Cayman Limited announced today that they have entered into an 80:20 strategic partnership to establish a US$750 million joint venture to develop and acquire industrial and logistics assets in India. The Joint Venture will develop and own institutional-grade, state-of-the-art industrial and logistics facilities as well as acquire core assets, focusing on Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities across India. It will be seeded with a ~2.2 million sq ft build-to-core asset, located in close proximity to the large consumption hubs of Mumbai and Thane. “We are pleased to establish this Joint Venture with…

Saudi Aramco Development Company, a subsidiary of Aramco, today announced it had teamed up with Google Cloud to offer high-performance, low-latency cloud services to enterprise customers in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is being added to the global network of Google Cloud Platform regions, as part of a strategic alliance agreement signed between the Company and Google Cloud this month. Google Cloud will establish and operate a new cloud region in Saudi Arabia, while a new company will be formed following all required regulatory clearances to supply cloud solutions and services to enterprise customers, with an emphasis on businesses inside Saudi Arabia.…

Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels, Inc. (BRHI) as borrower, mortgagor, and grantor and Sureste Properties, Inc. (SPI) as mortgagor, pledgor, grantor and surety, signed with a syndicate of banks an amendment to the P73.5 billion Omnibus Loan and Security Agreement for an additional facility in the principal amount of P20 billion. BRHI and SPI are subsidiaries of Bloomberry Resorts Corporation. The facility was oversubscribed. The additional facility will be available for two years from the signing of the amendment agreement and can be drawn as needed to save on interest payments. Any amount borrowed will be payable within five years from…

Greenbriar Capital Corp. (TSXV: GRB) (OTC Pink: GEBRF) is pleased to announce that it has arranged a private placement for 250,000 units at $2.00 per unit for total proceeds of $500,000.00. Each unit comprises one common share plus one whole common share purchase warrant exercisable at $2.50 per warrant, converting into one full common share. The warrants will have a two (2) year expiry commencing on the day the units are issued. All securities are subject to a four (4) month hold period. About Greenbriar Capital Corp Greenbriar is a leading developer of sustainable real estate and renewable energy. With…